


Christmas Surprises

by thequidditchpitch_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fluff, Post War, Post-War, Romance, The Quidditch Pitch: Eternity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-12-12
Updated: 2007-12-12
Packaged: 2018-10-27 10:15:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10807071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thequidditchpitch_archivist/pseuds/thequidditchpitch_archivist
Summary: It's Christmas at the Burrow, and Hermione is about to surprise Ron with a very special gift.





	Christmas Surprises

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Annie, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Quidditch Pitch](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Quidditch_Pitch), which went offline in 2015 when the hosting expired, at a time I was not able to renew it. I contacted Open Doors, hoping to preserve the archive using an old backup, and began importing these works as an Open Doors-approved project in April 2017. Open Doors e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Quidditch Pitch collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thequidditchpitch/profile).
> 
>  **Author's notes:** Written for fitzette and dedicated to her and queenb23, my fabulous friend and beta. This is my first-ever piece of fiction. Enjoy!

 

It came by owl order only four days before Christmas.

Hermione had worried and fretted and worried some more that it wouldn't arrive in time, but when she opened the small package and held its contents in her hands, she knew that it was worth every sickle she'd spent and every minute she'd waited. Hermione pictured the look she'd see on Ron's face when he opened this gift, and the tears she suddenly found herself crying were tears of happiness.

 

*******

 

Christmas was always beautiful at The Burrow, even now that all the Weasley children had homes and families of their own. Candles glowed, fairy lights twinkled, and the firelight made shadows play on the walls. The wireless in the corner was playing a tune that was mercifully not Celestina Warbeck, and everyone was gathered - packed, really - in the cozy sitting room, all wearing brand new hand-knitted jumpers.

Nearly all the gifts had been opened; paper lay haphazardly on every horizontal surface. Hermione shifted her legs to sit cross-legged on the floor, wrapping paper crinkling beneath her as she moved, and looked sideways at Ron, who was guffawing at something George had just said. He wiped tears of laughter from his cheeks and turned to lock his gaze with hers. His laugh slowed to one last chuckle as his face split into a grin, and he put his arm around her, giving her shoulders a squeeze.

Hermione's heart swelled with sudden and unexpected emotion, and her throat constricted. She found she could merely nod and smile back when Ron leaned in and asked if she was having a good time. 

"It's late, though. You about ready to get home, then?" he asked softly, wiggling his eyebrows.

The moment of emotion was gone as quickly as it had come, and was replaced by a giggle. Hermione slapped his leg lightly.

" _Honestly_ , Ron, is that all you think about?" she replied with mock exasperation.

It was his turn to grin wordlessly back at her. 

All of a sudden, Hermione remembered the small, wrapped package she'd stowed in her coat on the way to The Burrow and tucked in the back of the Weasleys' Christmas tree upon their arrival. She cursed inwardly at her forgetfulness. It seemed like her brain had grown more and more fuzzy in the past few weeks, a situation Hermione found quite disconcerting. 

She made an effort to push any negative thoughts away and prepared herself for what she was about to do. Her mouth felt dry, and she had to lick her lips before she spoke.

Talk had slowed to a quiet murmur in the room as the last hours of another Christmas faded away. Hermione broke the near-silence when she nudged Ron, then leaned over to point to the back of the tree.

"I think there's one more present in there," she announced. "I'll see who it's for…"

She stretched to reach it and was struck by the corniness of her last statement. Hermione felt herself blush as the room descended into complete silence. All eyes were upon her as she extracted the gift from the depths of the tree.

"Oh, look, Ron - it's for you," she said, eyes twinkling as she handed him the gift.

He looked surprised and a bit too gleeful for a grown man as he took it in his hands and slid one finger under the tape to unwrap it.

"No name on it to say who it's from," he said, glancing around. His eyes found his wife's once again, and Hermione could tell in an instant that he knew it was from her. 

Still, she tried to keep nothing more than a small smile on her face so as to continue the surprise, nervousness mounting within her as Ron fumbled with the shiny paper. She found that her heart was betraying her calm expression, pounding so hard that she reckoned it was visible through her jumper and audible to everyone in the room. She willed her eyes not to fill with tears - failing miserably - as the box she had lovingly wrapped was exposed at last. The wrapping paper rested on her knee where Ron had laid it in his haste to unwrap the gift. 

As his hands lifted the lid, Hermione felt the air leave her lungs. 

In that moment, she was sure the earth had stopped spinning on its axis. The music faded. The fire stopped dancing in the hearth. The sounds of their nieces and nephews' chattering was drowned by the sound of the blood rushing in her ears, and there was one thing in her world. Only one thing existed, and that was Ron, his eyes fixed on the contents of the box.

He wasn't blinking, and his mouth had fallen open. Hermione was sure that his breathing had slowed to the same rate as hers, as his body was completely still. She only breathed again when his eyes filled with tears.

Mrs. Weasley piped up from the sofa, across the room. "Aren't you going to show us your gift, Ronnie? Who's it from?" and after another silent moment, a more tentative, "Ronald…?"

"Is this…did I…are you…?" he stammered in a whisper as he looked up at Hermione. 

She nodded almost imperceptibly, and a dazzling smile spread across his face as a tear fell down his freckled cheek.

George looked as though he was fully prepared to take the mickey for this unmanly show of emotion, until he looked over Ron's shoulder into the box. His eyes grew comically large, and he gaped at Hermione. He was too speechless for real insults, but recovered quickly enough to clap Ron on the back and say loudly, "Bit small for you, isn't it, Ronniekins?" George laughed. "Better show 'em that gift!"

Ron reached into the box. Slowly, gingerly, his strong hands lifted the tiny garment out of the tissue paper.

And the room exploded immediately. Hermione's senses returned and she was conscious not only of Ginny's hands, gentle at her back and ready to pull her into a sisterly hug, but of the tangible joy among the Weasleys as Molly shrieked and launched herself across the room at the two of them. 

Ron didn't return her hug, because his hands were still clutching the brightly colored onesie he'd pulled out of the box. It was a garish shade of orange that would no doubt clash horribly with the baby's hair, embroidered with the Chudley Cannons' logo across the chest. Hermione had seen it in Ron's Quality Quidditch Supplies catalogue, and couldn't resist. It seemed he couldn't, either. Ron was holding onto it for dear life.

 

*******

 

When Mrs. Weasley had returned to her seat, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief, and everyone had finished hugging and congratulating them, the room returned to lively chatter about the unexpected news, and Hermione was finally able to talk quietly with Ron.

"I'm surprised you kept this…well, a _surprise_ , love."

She grinned back at him. "It was hard. I wanted to tell you as soon as I realized, but I thought of Christmas and that changed my mind."

Once again, unexpected tears pooled in her eyes. "You're happy, Ron? Really?"

"Bloody hell, Hermione! I'm going to be a _dad_. I'm gobsmacked. I'm shocked. I'm…" Ron stopped and smiled a wide smile. "Thrilled," he finished in a whisper.

He reached his arms out and enveloped her in a hug. "She can wear that to her first Quidditch match," Hermione laughed softly at his shoulder. "I'm sure you'll have her out there before she's two weeks old, trying to teach her the Cannons chant." She giggled quietly again, but stopped when she felt his arms stiffen around her.

He drew back and looked at her, as she saw his blue eyes fill with tears yet again.

" _She_?" he murmured. "It's a girl?"

"Well…yes. Didn't you see the socks?" 

Ron shook his head, and Hermione reached for the box. She unwrapped a separate piece of tissue paper and placed the tiny white socks in his hand. He laughed as he ran his fingers across the cuffed top and over the three embroidered goal hoops. His fingers toyed with the glittery orange ruffle along the bottom of the cuff.

"You really are full of surprises tonight, Hermione," he said with a chuckle. "Now I _really_ can't wait to get you home."

She giggled again as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight.

"Blimey, a girl. A baby girl…" she heard him whisper near her ear.

" _Our_ baby girl." she whispered back. 

Hermione held him tighter and gazed into the crackling fire over his shoulder. She thought of a sweet redheaded infant cradled lovingly in her daddy's arms - the strong arms currently holding her, which held her every night - and sighed a contented sigh.

 


End file.
